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Winter Port-al: Thought we start off this week with a glam shot of the Paul R. Tregurtha – longest laker on the Great Lakes at 1,013 feet – wintering at the Duluth Seaway Port Terminal with the full "snow" moon rising in the distance. We call this the "blue hour" around the Big Lake, Thanks to the father-son photo maritime and railroad team of David and Gus Schauer (who have a classy new watermark in the upper left!).
How the U.P. Does a Gold Medal Homecoming:You gotta love a guy who brings his black lab to a hometown celebration of his Olympic gold-winning performance. Snowboarder Nick Baumgartner came home to Iron River, Mich., with a police escort from Iron Mountain to Iron River, plus a parade and a gymnasium filled with cheering supporters. The 40-year-old has been to the Olympics four times and received similar receptions, notes Jerry Deroche of the Iron Mountain Daily News, but this time, Nick brought home the gold, earned with partner Lindsey Jacobellis in the mixed snowboardcross competition. It was a sweet comeback after he was eliminated from individual competition in the quarterfinals, when he vowed to keep going and referred to all the support back home. Back in the U.P. on Monday, as Jerry writes, it was Valentine's Day and, there was a lot of love in the air. Krist Oil posted a video with Nick's return and others posted Jason Asselin's video showing the police escort through Iron Mountain. He drove his pickup – with pooch – into town with the words "Once a Wykon, Always a Wykon" on the back window (a reference to the West Iron County Public Schools mascot). After parking, Nick walked along the street of his hometown, shaking hands and greeting those who had gathered before heading into the high school for an emotional talk. Forest Park School District posted this great image, which the Iron County Reporter helped to capture. It was a different kind of emotion that fueled an NBC Olympics video when they asked Nick to do his impression of actor/comedian Will Ferrell; many viewers insisted the two look alike. Nick gamely read from Anchorman, Elf and other Ferrell films.
Great Lake, Big Secret?: Move over Upper Peninsula … apparently you are not the only forgotten location on Lake Superior. We've reported before about how time and again, the Upper Peninsula gets left off of various maps. (UP Supply Co. is amassing a nice list of those.) Well, on Valentine's Day this week, Duluth got left out of the hearts and minds of the three Jeopardy! contestants during the final question of the day under the category The Midwest: "At about 90,000, it's the most populous U.S. city on North America's Biggest Lake." And their answers … What is Green Bay? What is Minneapolis. What is Green Bay? To which our responses are … Wrong lake. Really, about 90,000? Wrong lake. The host Ken Jennings, in his reveal, said, "Now this is the most important port on Lake Superior, which is Duluth, Minnesota." (Actually, the port of Duluth-Superior averages more tonnage than any other port on the Great Lakes, but who's bragging.) Yeah, we here in Duluth maybe felt a little hurt, after our chuckles faded away. And we don't think Minneapolis can feel too great about that significant downsizing. Hey, it might be time to do a GoFundMe to fly those "lost souls" to the Big Lake shores. What you're final answer on that?
Fresh Look: On Saturday evening, a full-length version of the documentary, "Freshwater," premieres at the NorShor Theatre in Duluth. A chance encounter with some Lake Superior surfers sparked the interest of Twin Cities-area filmmakers Ian Planchon and Lynn Melling for a project that morphed from telling the story of Big Lake surfers to examining issues about research and the health of freshwater. The 515 Productions film first showed in a 23-minute version at Catalyst Content Festival in Duluth last fall. The full-length premiere this Saturday will also be a fundraiser for research at the University of Minnesota Duluth Large Lakes Observatory. Researchers at that center are in the film. The doors open at 5 p.m. Saturday for the event, and tickets can be purchased in advance online, where the trailer and shorter version can also be viewed. Audience members can participate in a drawing for a ride on the LLO's Blue Heron (in photo). Two winners will be drawn, each for two seats on the research vessel, and they must be present at the drawing to win. To whet your interest in the premiere, we chatted with the directors, Ian and Lynn, about how the film came to be and what their hopes are for its message.
LSM: How did you come across the Lake surfers. Did someone give you a heads up (or "surfs up")?
Ian: We were driving home from a camping trip at Gooseberry Falls in May 2019, and on the way through Duluth, noticed surfers in the Lake. It was pure coincidence. We'd heard about surfing on Lake Superior before, but never seen it ourselves. We stopped and talked to one of the surfers there. He pointed us to the Stoney Point Facebook page. We connected with the local surfing community, and the rest is history. … I have a background shooting action sports movies and was looking for a new creative project. This was a perfect fit - something that is really cool, but still under the radar for most people outside of the Duluth area.
LSM: How did the project evolve into local water research and then to climate change?
Lynn: I have a journalism background and prefer to have some informative nuggets mixed into the content I consume. If I'm going to invest an hour of my time into watching a movie, I want to learn something or be inspired - preferably both. Lake Superior made that easy for us, because there is so much interesting information to convey, while at the same time showing beautiful visuals of an incredible place.
LSM: Have either of you surfed the Lake?
Ian: I haven't surfed it, but I did have to get into the Lake to capture underwater scenes for the film. Now that I'm not focused on getting shots of surfers, I'm excited to try it for myself.
LSM: What was the most interesting – or surprising – thing that you learned in creating the documentary?
Lynn: The fact that there is still so much that scientists don't know about Lake Superior. I think most of us assume that scientists have it all figured out, but when it comes to Lake Superior, that's absolutely not the case. Which is why it's so important that we raise awareness about - and funding for - research that ultimately serves as the first line of defense for this critically important natural resource that contains 10% of Earth's freshwater.
LSM: What was the reaction to the shortened version at Catalyst? Did that experience influence the final longer cut at all?
Lynn: We were humbled by the very positive reaction to the Catalyst version of the film. That 20-minute version of "Freshwater" was an Official Selection for the Catalyst Content Festival last September, which gave us an important foundation for taking the film to the next level. By gaining that kind of credibility, it made it much easier for us to ask the Large Lakes Observatory to get onboard the research vessel Blue Heron, for example. Catalyst opened doors that allowed us to not only create a more meaningful film, but turn the premiere event into a fundraiser for the LLO. It was a pivotal moment, and I highly encourage people in the Northland to get familiar with Catalyst. It's hard to believe such a fantastic organization is based right here in Duluth.
LSM: What do you hope the audience takes away from the viewing on Saturday? What happens to the documentary after this premiere?
Lynn: I hope people are inspired to take action to protect Lake Superior - and all freshwater resources - around the world. There has never been a more critical time to care about freshwater as a natural resource. If we can capture someone's attention with cool visuals of people surfing on Lake Superior and then hold their attention long enough to make them care about climate change, this film will be a success, from my perspective. After the premiere, we'll take the documentary on the film festival circuit and then eventually determine a plan for public distribution.
LSM: What's your next project … and will you be up our way again for work?
Ian: We are obsessed with the North Shore and the Boundary Waters, so we will absolutely be maintaining a presence in the Northland for both work and play. As for our next project, it is based on freshwater in the northern wilderness, but with a very different spin. We hope to start production in the not-too-distant future, but until then, are keeping the details under wraps.
Superior by Design: Next Friday evening through Saturday afternoon (Feb. 25-26), the American Institute of Architects Minnesota hosts its 34th annual Lake Superior Design Retreat. The retreat traditionally gathers architects and others interested in design at the historic Fitger’s Inn "to explore the corners of design with six invited creative design professionals who share their passion for their art and/or craft and discuss their creative stories." This year, the event is virtual and speakers this year cover a wide range of topics that you might not automatically link to design. Brian Alexander, a transdisciplinary experience designer and artist, addresses "Bridging Sonification," a talk exploring life's "sound track" and explaining two projects that highlight the pursuit of art and technology in everyday life to expand our awareness of each other and the complexity of world in which we live. Dr. Tiara Moore, founder of the non-profit organization Black in Marine Science, that celebrates Black marine scientists, spreads environmental awareness and inspires the next generation of scientific leaders. Tired of being the only Black person in the room, Tiara founded BIMS to build a community and global network of diverse marine scientists. She tells her story of racism, trauma, hope and fortitude in “Building BIMS.” Minneapolis author and journalist William Swanson will lead a spirited, if somewhat unorthodox, discussion about the design and construction of suspense fiction with W.A. Winter, his pen name and internal inspiration for crime novels including his most recent, The Secret Lives of Dentists. William's presentation, "Building Suspense: A Conversation with My Alter Ego" will focus on that latest book, but also will compare it with his true-crime books, other fiction plus favorite authors, influences and lessons learned while writing for a living over a half-century. In her talk, "Design with Love: At Home in America," nationally recognized design leader, researcher, writer, and educator Katie Swenson explores how the architect’s role within the community has continued to grow and change. She will address how we look beyond designing projects to delivering on a mission to research, build, and advocate for architecture that promotes justice and human dignity. Cale Wehrle's presentation, "How Crowdfunding Changed the Tabletop Publishing Game," discusses how social media-based funding has changed the publication of games, offering new possibilities for design, production, and distribution. He is the creative director at Leder Games in St. Paul. Registration information and the exact schedule is available online. There also will be chance to "mingle" with other participants and you can find the cocktail recipe for each session. (Orange Dark and Stormy with orange liqueur, dark rum and ginger beer sounds intriguing.) CF design is the local sponsor, along state sponsors Gausman & Moore and DSGW Architecture, which has an office in Duluth.
In Another International Competition: Two students from Lakehead University in Thunder Bay took top honors this week at the 2022 Crescendo International Music Competition at Carnegie Hall in New York. Evelyn Davenport won in the piano category and Jessica Hayes rose above 35 other vocalists to place first in her voice division. You can see a video of one of Jessica's performances online. Both will be given the opportunity to join student exchange program in Italy to learn from renowned Italian musicians, reports Justin Hardy for TBnewswatch.com. Evelyn already may have Italy on her 2022 travel plans. In August last year, she placed first in the Cremona International Competition for Piano. She is to perform at the Winners Concert in Cremona, Italy, this year and to perform a piano concerto with the Festival Orchestra next summer, the university posted.
Meet the Author: New York Times No. 1 best-selling author Angeline Boulley, an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, will talk about her amazing debut novel Firekeeper's Daughter during a live-streamed presentation at Grand Valley State University, starting at 5 p.m. CT Tuesday (Feb. 22), hosted by Native News Online. Beside topping the NYT best seller list, the book earned TIME magazine's best YA book of all time and Amazon's best YA (young adult) book of 2021. It also caught the attention of Higher Ground, a production company owned by Barack and Michelle Obama and will soon be adapted for Netflix. In the story about a young woman balancing life between two worlds, Angeline taps her Ojibwe community in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. She is a former director of the Office of Indian Education at the U.S. Department of Education.
Photo & graphic credits: David and Gus Schauer; Forest Park School District; NBC Olympics; Jeopardy!; 515 Productions on Visit Duluth; Large Lakes Observatory; Lake Superior Design Retreat; Lakehead University; Jessica Hayes; Native News Online